12 years for fantasy tapes paedophile

A paedophile who recorded himself abusing children was jailed today for 12-and-a-half years.

Bolton Crown Court heard Francis Steenfeld, also known as Frank Roberts, 67, believed his victims enjoyed the abuse.

He recorded disgusting audiotapes of himself attacking children and talking about his fantasies.

He admitted preferring girls aged between six and 11.

Steenfeld, of Westgate Avenue, Blackley, Manchester, pleaded guilty to eight charges of indecent assault and four charges of indecency with a child.

He also pleaded guilty to affray and the making and possession of indecent photographs.

Today, he was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order banning him indefinitely from allowing any child under the age of 16 years into his home without there being a suitable adult present.

He was on trial accused of 13 other sexual offences, including rape, but the jury could not reach a verdict.

Those charges were ordered to lie on file as was a further offence of possession of a firearm.

The crimes happened in the 1990s while Steenfeld was living in Middleton, Greater Manchester.

He hung around schools and playgrounds befriending children before grooming them.

As the grooming continued, Steenfeld would increase the contact he had with the children, encouraging them to touch him or allow him to touch them intimately.

He would offer youngsters money to remove their underwear and those who responded were invited back to his home where he would revel in further abuse, photographing it.

He was arrested in 2007 after a disturbance at his address in Blackley.

When officers arrested Steenfeld they also discovered a heap of press cuttings about child abuse cases and child pornography.

Over the following months specialist officers from Rochdale's Public Protection Investigation Unit learned about the extent of the abuse suffered at his hands.

Detective Inspector Meriel Buglass from Rochdale's public protection unit said: "Steenfeld is a danger to children.

"There is a good chance that the victims involved in this prosecution will not have been the only ones he targeted, but I hope everyone who was affected by his behaviour will now take some comfort in the fact he has been brought to justice for his actions.

"Anyone who has been a victim of abuse, even if it happened several years ago, should contact police. We have specially trained officers to support and deal sensitively with these situations."